Abstract: The Happy Jazz Band was formed in 1962 by Jim Cullum with his son, Jim Cullum, Jr. in San Antonio, Texas. Devoted to jazz
from between the World Wars, the Happy Jazz Band was perhaps the foremost exponent of Dixieland in the Southwest. Jim Cullum,
Jr. continued the band after his father passed as the Jim Cullum Jazz Band. The Jim Cullum collection consists of tape recordings
of the Happy Jazz Band and the Jim Cullum Jazz Band and covers over thirty years of the band's performances. In addition,
the collection contains performances by other noteworthy performers including Jack Teagarden and Bobby Hackett, as well as
lesser known, but important jazz musicians from Texas, such as cornetist Garner Clark.

Language of Material: English

Access

Open for research; material must be requested at least two business days in advance of intended use. Contact the Archive for
assistance.

Publication Rights

Property rights reside with repository. Publication and reproduction rights reside with the creators or their heirs. To obtain
permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Head Librarian of the Archive of Recorded Sound.

The Jim Cullum Collection was donated to the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound by Jim Cullum, Jr. in 2008.

Sponsor

This finding aid was produced with generous financial support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Scope and Contents

The Jim Cullum Collection consists of audio and video recordings of traditional jazz revivalism in Texas. In 1962 Jim Cullum,
Sr., who had played clarinet professionally with Jack Teagarden, Jimmy Dorsey, Adrian Rollini and others in the 1930s and
40s, formed a seven-piece traditional jazz group in San Antonio, Texas with his son, Jim Cullum, Jr. on cornet, called the
Happy Jazz Band. After the senior Cullum's passing in 1973, the band continued under Jim's leadership as the Jim Cullum Jazz
Band. The group still plays today, and the collection contains compact discs and a DVD of recent recordings.

Among the thousand-plus tapes in the collection, Cullum chose to have digitally transferred certain reels he felt were of
the highest priority, highlighting undersung regional players such as cornetist (and family friend) Garner Clark and pianists
Peck Kelley and Son Harrell. In order to get a better sense of the collection's contents, these transferred tapes are listed
below. Other lesser known groups represented in the collection include the Bourbon Street Bums, the Dixie Ramblers, the Rubber
City Retreads, the Crawford-Ferguson Night Owls, and Johnny Wigs and Bayou Stompers. More familiar musicians, such as Jack
Teagarden, Bobby Hackett, Baby Dodds, Turk Murphy, and Knocky Parker, are also present.

A substantial portion of the collection belongs to performances by the Happy Jazz Band, including tape masters, live recordings,
and radio broadcasts on WOAI and WWL (many of which are remotes from The Landing, a San Antonio club which has hosted their
residency since they began). There are also interviews, including the Cullums on Voice of America in 1969, commercial releases
(almost all Happy Jazz and the JCJB), and dubbed copies of commercial releases. There is a paper contents listing available
at the Archive.